Pokémon Constellation Myths
by TheViolaBuddy
Summary: A collection of stories associated with each of the eighty-eight constellations (as defined by the IAU), retold with Pokémon as the main characters.
1. Ursa Major and related constellations

**Introduction**

This is a collection of short stories, each retelling a star myth in the Pokémon world. There are eighty-eight constellations, as defined by the International Astronomical Union. Most of the northern constellations—those originating from Ptolemy's list of 48 constellations, with a few exceptions—have associated mythology. Although some of the real-life stories have adult themes, I have attempted here to keep the stories on the level of the Pokémon animé and games—and in general, the myths have likely been greatly changed to fit this world.

Hopefully, I will get to all eighty-eight constellations. However; since some of the constellations do not have star myths, I will have to make up stories for these constellations.

There is no order in this collection of star myths, though it will generally go through the constellations with associated mythology first (and therefore, it will go mostly from northern to southern constellations). However, each of these stories is entirely independent each other, so you may decide to read them out of order.

A few rules for myself for how to choose which Pokémon to be which constellation:

1. All constellations must be a Pokémon (or multiple Pokémon, or part of a Pokémon); none can be based on human beings, machines, or anything else. An exception is made for the parts of the Argo Navis (Carina, Puppis, and Vela), as well as the two crowns (Corona Borealis and Corona Australis).  
2. Northern constellations must be chosen from the first four generations; southern constellations must be chosen from the fifth generation and beyond. "Northern" is considered to be those listed by Ptolemy, or created by Petrus Plancius, or Johannes Hevelius, as well as the constellations Coma Berenices and Pyxis.  
3. All canonical constellations from the ending of the sixth movie (_Jirachi: Wish Maker_) must remain exactly as they are. The two other canonical constellations (Scolipede and Bouffalant from episode BW094, "The Road to Humilau!") must appear as two southern constellations, but because they were not specified to have any particular real-world analogue, they can be placed as any constellation.  
4. No Pokémon may be repeated in another constellation.

As a side note, genderless Pokémon, such as the legendaries, are all referred to with the pronoun "it." Pokémon with genders are all referred to accordingly, with "he" or "she."

Without further ado, let's begin.

* * *

**Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Boötes, and Canes Venatici**

**Ursaring, Teddiursa, Gallade, and Houndour and Houndoom**

Manaphy and Phione, the Princes of the Sea, were swimming in the ocean, their expansive domain. The small blue fairy-like Pokémon had always enjoyed their time in the ocean, often playing with each other or with the other aquatic Pokémon. The other guardians of the sea, Lugia and Kyogre, were far too serious, they thought. The two Princes therefore strove to make themselves more approachable to the Pokémon of the sea.

So as the two Pokémon swam past a trio of Tentacool, Manaphy tapped Phione on the shoulder and said, "Hey, wait a moment. They're about to start a fight, aren't they?" Without waiting for Phione, Manaphy dove down to the where the argument was happening.

Phione, though, started to sigh. It was tired of trying to break up fights; this was the third one today that the two Princes had passed. Instead of following Manaphy, it just closed its eyes and let the warm currents of the water carry it at will.

A knock on its head startled it from its sleep. Phione shook itself awake, suddenly aware that it had no idea where it was. It looked around the water, but found no sign of any Pokémon other than itself.

It inflated its floatation sack, allowing it to swim up towards the surface of the water. Perhaps it would catch a glimpse of a landmark once it surfaced.

Instead, it caught a glimpse of the most beautiful Pokémon in the world.

An Ursaring sat, bathed in moonlight, at the edge of the water on a little stretch of land protruding from a forest. Phione immediately fell in love with the bear Pokémon, from the sharp claws of her feet to the yellow ring encircling her belly, to the black, beady nose on her face.

Phione hopped up onto the land, greeting the Ursaring.

"Hello, Madame Ursaring."

The Ursaring jumped up in surprise, holding out her claws threateningly, before lowering them and said, "H… hello, Phione. Fancy meeting a legendary Pokémon here."

"Do you know where we are? I seem to have gotten lost," Phione said. Before the Ursaring could answer, Phione suddenly blurted out, "I have a crush on you."

The Ursaring, about to answer its first question, stuttered something before closing her mouth. "I beg your pardon?" she finally managed to say.

"I… just said that, didn't I?" Phione said. "Um… Would you please go out with me?" it asked, bowing. "I would be greatly honored if you did."

The Ursaring just stared at miniscule form of Phione. "Is a legendary Pokémon allowed to have such a relationship?"

"Actually, no," Phione said, embarrassed. "But…" Phione suddenly jerked its head towards the sea, listening intently. "Quick, hide! Manaphy is coming!" Phione shoved the Ursaring towards the forest, and the bear Pokémon slunk away into the shadows of the trees without question.

Phione turned back towards the sea just as the familiar blue form of Manaphy jumped out of the water.

"There you are, Phione!" Manaphy said. "I've been looking all over for you! You haven't been doing anything naughty, have you?"

Manaphy made the last statement teasingly, but it struck Phione as dangerously close to the truth. Phione just smiled, though, and said, "Of course not. I fell asleep in the water while you were talking to those Tentacool, and I found myself here. I was just trying to get my bearings to see if I could find you again."

"Oh. Well, now that we have found each other, do you want to go back to the Sea Temple?"

Phione nodded, and dove back into the water, with Manaphy following.

* * *

But Phione wasn't going to let the Ursaring go quite so easily. Phione found its way back to the same forest a few days later, and was delighted to find her walking along the water's edge in the warm afternoon sun.

"Hello, Madame Ursaring," Phione said, hopping out of the water. "Nice to see you again!"

"Oh," the Ursaring said, backing away from the blue sea angel-like Pokémon. "How are you, Phione?"

"I'm fine. But what about that offer of a date? Would you like to show me around the forest?"

The Ursaring paused a moment before sighing. "Do I really have a choice? You're a legendary Pokémon; you'll make it happen even if I refuse. Come on, let's go."

Phione let out a happy squeal and hopped onto the Ursaring's back. "By the way, Madame Ursaring, do you have a name?"

"My friends call me Callisto," the Ursaring said, walking into the shade of forest.

The forest was green, far greener than anything underwater. But the green was not an unending mass; there were brown tree trunks, and certain colorful flowers and fruits. Several bug-type and flying-type Pokémon flittered by, such as Butterfree and Pidgey, rustling the leaves on the trees and making soft noises of the forest. Callisto showed Phione the berries that were good to eat, and those that would pass through the body poorly.

The sun soon set, however, so Callisto invited Phione into her cave where she made her nest. The cave was shared among several Pokémon, but Callisto had a separate room within the cave. Callisto and Phione shared a meal of an assortment of berries that they had collected throughout the day, and soon fell asleep together in her nest made of grass and twigs.

* * *

Phione found itself being shaken awake by a fuzzy brown paw. It blinked groggily, and found itself looking into the beautiful eyes of Callisto.

But the eyes were laced with worry. Callisto said, "Phione, wake up quickly. There's… there's an egg."

"What?" Phione was wide awake at the news. "An egg? Where?" It looked around the cave, only to find a smooth, orange egg with a white crescent on it, lying on the grassy nest.

"We had an egg. I don't know how it got there, but we had it," Callisto announced solemnly, gesturing a paw towards the roughly spherical shape that was the product of their love.

Phione was devastated. This couldn't be happening. Legendary Pokémon had taken a vow of chastity, never to even love another Pokémon intimately, let alone produce offspring. If Manaphy found out about the egg…

Manaphy. Phione had been out the whole night, hadn't it? Manaphy surely would come looking for it. Phione looked up at Callisto, who was still staring in shock at the egg. Phione said, "I… I can't stay here, Callisto. I'm so sorry." It hopped up to the Ursaring's shoulder and planted a kiss on her furry cheek before bounding out of the cave.

Callisto could do nothing but stare after the retreating legendary Pokémon, dreading her life as a single mother.

* * *

Months passed. Callisto kept her child's parentage a secret. The egg hatched a few days after its conception, giving birth to a healthy young Teddiursa whom she named Arcas. She taught Arcas how to survive in the wild, giving as much care to him as any mother would to her child, but the lack of father caused the Ursaring community to shun them. Indeed, she never even told him about his father. Callisto hoped that she would never meet Phione again, and sometimes expressed an utter loathing towards the Pokémon with whom she had spent a night of passion.

Manaphy still knew nothing about its fellow Prince's antics. The day after Arcas's conception, Manaphy and Phione continued their lives as normal, floating merrily around the ocean.

However, as the months dragged on, Phione found itself lonely, even in the company of Manaphy. One night, it stole away out of the Sea Temple and swam through the seas towards the forest where Callisto resided.

Manaphy, however, noticed when Phione was leaving, and decided to follow it. Manaphy camouflaged into the water and followed Phione to the land.

Phione hopped out of the water and started to wander into the forest. Once it was safely inside, Manaphy hopped out, as well, and quickly followed the trail of seawater that the other Prince of the Sea left.

Manaphy followed a winding path, with several detours and U-turns. Eventually, the saltwater trail faded, but Phione evidently wasn't a very careful Pokémon, since the tracks in the soil and carelessly broken branches provided enough of a trail even for a Pokémon like Manaphy who had never tried to track anyone on land.

The trail eventually led to a craggy clearing in the middle of the forest before disappearing onto the rock. Manaphy paused, searching for a continuation of Phione's trail.

But when Manaphy looked up, though, a large, brown shape approached. Frightened, Manaphy retreated back into the forest just as an enormous Ursaring came out of another part of the forest and into the clearing.

"I told you," the Ursaring growled menacingly behind it. "Stay out of my life. You had your thing with me already; I don't need any more trouble from you."

"Come on, Callisto!" a familiar voice called after the Ursaring. Manaphy stared in surprise at the emerging figure. As it stepped out of the shadows of the forest, all doubt was lost—the blue fairy-like Pokémon was indeed Phione.

Manaphy was about to rush up to Phione, but paused to listen to the conversation when Phione spoke up. "Look, Callisto, I came all this way just to see you. I haven't seen you in months!"

"Well, good!" the Ursaring yelled. "Go back to your ocean with Manaphy and not break any laws about legendary Pokémon relationships! You should be glad I'm not chasing after you and telling Manaphy about what happened."

Manaphy frowned at the reference to it in the statement, but it remained hidden in the foliage. Still, it started wondering: had Phione… fallen in love?

"Callisto, weren't you the one who was so accepting to a relationship with me?"

"I was scared of you legendary Pokémon at the time. I'm still not sure if you're going to do something horrible to me. But before, I was afraid of refusing you, whereas now, I don't care anymore. You've given me a child and forced me out of society. You can't do anything more to me."

"But—"

Before Phione could say anything else, Callisto sharpened her claws and slashed at it. Phione cried out as it flew backwards into a tree.

"Go away."

Manaphy, although horrified at what Phione had apparently done, couldn't just let its fellow Prince of the Sea be injured like this. Manaphy jumped towards Phione as it landed with a _thud_ on the ground.

"Phione! Are you all right?" Manaphy called out.

Phione gave a start. "Man… Manaphy? Why are you here?"

"I was following you. I was wondering what you were doing out so late at night." Manaphy sighed. "And what I'm finding out is more and more disappointing. Phione, what happened with you and this Ursaring?"

Phione started stuttering, but was unable to form a complete sentence. Callisto interrupting its bout of nonsense syllables. "It's exactly what you think, Manaphy. Phione came to me one night and… we had a child. Arcas, I named him."

Manaphy turned back to Phione. "Is this true?" Manaphy demanded.

Phione could only nod silently, inching deeper into the forest.

"Hey, what's happening?"

The small, high-pitched voiced surprised all three Pokémon on the scene. They all turned towards the cave, where the voice came from.

A small, orange bear-like Pokémon, no bigger than Manaphy or Phione, waddled out of the cave, sucking honey off its paw. "Who are you?" he asked, pointing at the two Princes of the Sea. "I've never seen either of you around here."

"They're legendary Pokémon of the sea, Arcas," Callisto said gently.

"But this is a forest," the Teddiursa pointed out. "It's not the sea. Are they lost?"

"Actually, Arcas, I'm your father," Phione blurted out.

The four Pokémon dropped silent for an awkward moment. "No you're not," Arcas finally said. "I don't have a daddy. Mommy says that I'm special because I don't have a daddy."

"Well, technically I'm genderless…" Phione said. "So I guess I'm just a parent, and not really a father. But then, I am a Prince of the Sea, and princes are generally male…"

Manaphy slapped it. "You are getting that title revoked. I will make sure of that much."

Arcas ignored Manaphy and looked up at Callisto. "So I do have a daddy? That's great!"

"It's not that simple," Callisto said. "Legendary Pokémon… aren't supposed to have children. It's against the law."

Arcas seemed rather shocked at this statement. "So I'm illegal?"

"Unfortunately, in the eyes of Legendary Law, yes," Calisto said. "But only in that law. In nothing else. You're still my son, and I would do anything for you."

Manaphy frowned. "Still, we're going to have to discuss everything with the other Legendaries, particularly Mew, who's the de facto leader of us fairy-like Legendaries. Callisto and Arcas, I have to ask that you accompany us to meet it." Manaphy turned abruptly towards Phione. "And I am utterly disappointed in you, Phione. What were you thinking? I'll make sure you're punished justly."

Manaphy grabbed Phione's hands roughly and turned back towards the two bear Pokémon. "Could you please guide us back to the sea? I can get Mew's attention there."

Callisto nodded silently, picking up Arcas and placing him on her back. She turned towards the forest and walked straight through it.

* * *

The four Pokémon arrived on the shore a few minutes later. "We're here," Callisto announced to the two sea Pokémon behind her.

Manaphy, still tightly gripping Phione, stepped towards the edge of the sea. Manaphy sang out loudly towards the horizon, calling for Mew. For a while, all was silent but the lulling sound of Manaphy's voice.

Then, suddenly, a bright flash blinded the four Pokémon. A small, pink feline Pokémon appeared from the light, hovering about a meter off the ground.

"Hey, Manaphy, what's up?" it said.

"Hello, Mew," Manaphy said. "We have a rather heavy topic to discuss today."

"Indeed? I presume it's appropriate to talk about in front of this Ursaring and her child?" Mew said, gesturing towards the two anxious normal-types.

"It's about them, actually. The Teddiursa is Phione's son."

Mew was silent for a moment before turning to Callisto. "And you are the Teddiursa's mother?"

"Yes, Lord Mew," Callisto said, too afraid even of looking up at the legendary Pokémon.

Mew floated directly into the Ursaring's face, forcing her to look at it. "And you therefore admit to having had an affair with Phione?"

"Yes, Lord Mew."

"And were you aware that it was a legendary Pokémon, who is forbidden from having any sort of relationship with non-legendaries?"

"Yes, Lord Mew."

Mew floated back from Callisto. "And Phione, you do not deny this Ursaring is the mother of your son?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot," the small blue Pokémon said in a small voice.

Mew settled down on the ground as the four other Pokémon stared at it expectantly. When Mew said nothing for a while, Arcas spoke up.

"Lord Mew, what's going to happen to us?"

Mew just shook its head. "I don't know. Phione, you realize this is a major offense, right? This is the first time any legendary Pokémon has broken the no-affair law." Mew sighed and closed its eyes for a moment. "Phione, you are hereby stripped of your title of legendary Pokémon. Go ahead, have affairs freely. But you lose your legendary status. You can reproduce among commoners, even. That said…" Mew opened its eyes and turned to Callisto and Arcas. "I cannot allow two you to see Phione anymore. You knowingly disobeyed the law. You must be punished somehow."

"I understand," Callisto said.

"Wait," Arcas said. "I just met my daddy. Are you saying that I can't see him ever again?"

Mew nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, young one. But do not worry. You have your entire life ahead of you. You should not be burdened by something that happened before you were even born." It turned to the mother. "Still, I'm going to have to relocate both of you to another forest, away from the sea, so that Phione does not meet with you again. Is there anything you need to get before we go?"

Callisto, shocked, shook her head, but she asked, "Could we at least say farewell to our friends before we leave?"

"Very well. Come back here immediately when you are finished."

Callisto picked up Arcas in her paws, and they wordlessly reentered the forest. Manaphy, meanwhile, looked over at Phione. "And don't forget, Phione. You lose your title as Prince of the Sea, as well, and I hereby banish you from the Sea Temple. Do not come back."

Phione just stared, sad, at its former friend. "That is the least of my concerns. I'll just become a sea drifter. But for the rest of my life, I'll never see my mistress or my son again! That's what's bothering me the most." It let out a great cry towards the night sky above. Several of the stars shifted, forming two dipper shapes. A faint image glowed around the stars: Callisto and Arcas.

"What did you just do?" Mew demanded.

"I… I don't know," Phione said, as surprised as Mew about the new constellations. "I just needed to scream."

Presently, Callisto and Arcas came trampling out of the forest. "What happened?" Callisto asked. "I heard someone screaming."

The three fairy-like Pokémon didn't answer, but just stared straight up into the sky. Callisto and Arcas followed their gaze, and gasped in surprise as they found an image of themselves.

"That's us," Arcas said in amazement. He looked towards Phione. "Did you do this? Thank you, Daddy. I haven't known you, but I'll miss you." The small orange bear hugged the former Prince of the Sea.

"Me too," Phione muttered. "Farewell, Arcas. Farewell, Callisto." It jumped up onto Callisto's shoulder for a moment and gave her a kiss before diving into the sea.

After a moment, Mew asked Callisto, "Are you ready, Madame Ursaring? Shall we be off?"

"Yes."

"All right, then. Manaphy, I will see you next time."

With those words, Mew teleported away in a flash of light, bringing along Callisto and Arcas.

Manaphy remained on the shore a bit longer. As much as it was disappointed in Phione, Manaphy itself had fallen in love before, though it refused to act on the feeling. It was a pity such a celebrated emotion would have to separate the two Princes like this. Manaphy did like Phione as a friend, and it was sad that they might never see each other again.

Sighing, Manaphy glanced back up towards the sky, where the images of the two bear-like Pokémon were shining as brightly as ever.

In an act of empathy, Manaphy sang out a melodious tune. In response to the sound, the two new constellations shifted in the sky, to the celestial north pole.

Manaphy nodded at its work before diving into the sea. In this new position, Callisto and Arcas's constellations would be visible to Manaphy at any point in the year, for in this position, the constellations would not dip below the horizon. It was the least that Manaphy could do for its former friend.

* * *

Callisto and Arcas appeared in an unfamiliar forest, along with Mew. Once they had safely materialized, Mew nodded towards them.

"All right, this forest will be your new home," it said.

"Thank you, Lord Mew," Callisto said. She sniffed at the air uncertainly. "Still, this is… all so new."

"Indeed. I've already sent for assistants to help you to adjust to your new life. Ah, here they come now." Mew pointed its tail into the forest, where a Gallade approached with a Houndour and a Houndoom.

"Hello, Lord Mew," the Gallade said, bowing. "I came as soon I heard your call."

"Hello, Boötes," Mew said. "This Ursaring and her son have just arrived here. I trust that you and your two friends can keep them safe and show them around this forest?"

"Very well," Boötes said. He turned to Callisto and Arcas. "Nice to meet you, madam. My name is Boötes, and these are my friends Chara"—he gestured towards the Houndoom—"and her son Asterion"—he gestured towards the Houndour.

"My name is Callisto, and my son is Arcas," Callisto said. "I hope I'm not troubling you too much by imposing on your lives like this."

"Certainly not," Boötes promised. "I would do anything for Lord Mew."

Mew turned towards Boötes. "Of course, I will reward you for this—all three of you. I shall place your images among the stars, alongside the images of Callisto and Arcas that Phione evidently thought fit to produce. Until we meet again, goodbye." Without further ado, the pink feline disappeared into the night with a flash of light.

"Before anything else," Asterion suddenly said, "I want to see these constellations." He and Chara raced off towards a clearing, with the other three Pokémon quickly following.

They reached a clearing, and looked up just in time to see the fading image of a Gallade leading a Houndour and Houndoom, in addition to the image of the Callisto and Arcas. The stars outlining their forms remained bright, even as the images faded to black.

"All right," Boötes said, turning towards Callisto and Arcas. "I hope you're not too intimidating by having a new home. But let us show you around."

"I'm sure you'll find it a great place to raise your son, Callisto," Chara said. "I know it was for my son."

"Thank you," Callisto said.

Boötes, Chara, and Asterion led Callisto and Arcas back into the forest, where they would start their life anew.

* * *

_Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are perhaps the most well-known constellations in the night sky. They both originated in ancient times, as listed by Ptolemy in the second century in his book _Almagest_. Boötes was also in that list. His hunting dogs, the Canes Venatici, came much later, created in 1687 by Johannes Hevelius, though he was likely inspired by Peter Apian's illustration of Boötes (1533), which showed him leading two unnamed dogs. At a standard 45°N latitude, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are circumpolar (i.e. they are in the sky for the whole year). Boötes and Canes Venatici are best seen in late spring or early summer._

_In this adaptation of the original story, Phione takes on the role of Zeus, while the role of Hera is split between Manaphy and Mew. In the traditional story, Hera cursed the two bears never to dip below the water and therefore be forever thirsty; in this story, however, staying in the sky year-round is a gift instead of a curse. Also, Boötes and his dogs, instead of being sent by Hera to execute Callisto, is her guide in an unfamiliar forest._

* * *

_Published March 3, 2013  
_


	2. Coma Berenices and Scutum

**Coma Berenices and Scutum**

**Jynx's Hair and Bronzor**

There once was a kingdom far in the North, a land covered in ice and snow for most of the year. This Northern Kingdom was ruled by King Electivire and his wife, a Jynx named Berenice, who was renowned for her long, beautiful hair.

The Northern Kingdom, however, was suffering a horrible string of defeats at the hands of its longtime rival, the Southern Kingdom. The Southern Kingdom, a volcanic land filled with fire-types, was lead by King Magmortar. Recently, the Southern Kingdom was being unusually fierce in its attacks on the Northern Kingdom, and the borders of the icy kingdom were steadily being reduced.

One day, a messenger Crobat came from the South with alarming news: the Southern Kingdom was marching on the Northern Kingdom again.

"What?" King Electivire exclaimed. "But the citizens will be massacred if they manage to arrive here in the city! They're mostly fire types and we're mostly ice types."

"I'm only reporting the news that I received," the Crobat said, fluttering in the air.

"Well, we're going to have to send our military southward to block them off."

"But Your Highness," the Crobat said, "won't our army be easily defeated? After all, the army is mostly made of ice types, as well."

"That's true," King Electivire said, sitting back on his throne. He paused for a moment before saying, "Well, I guess I'll lead the army personally."

"What?" Queen Berenice exclaimed. "But you can't leave!"

"I'm not an ice type," King Electivire pointed out. "I don't have a weakness to fire attacks like most of our kingdom. And this is the final battle. We have nowhere to evacuate to; the Southern Kingdom has taken the rest of the land. I have to protect the citizens of our city and our kingdom."

Queen Berenice shook her head. "Can't you just leave everything to the Walrein and other part water types? Or even me—I'm part psychic, and the fire-types don't have a resistance to psychic types as they do to ice-type moves."

"That's out of the question! Everyone would just be going out of their way to protect their queen, and end up losing sight of their goal: to protect this kingdom. There will be no more talk of your going to war, Berenice." He turned back to the Crobat and said, "You are dismissed." The Crobat bowed as best as he could and fluttering out of throne room. Then, King Electivire turned to the two Sneasel guards at the side of the room. "Please make an announcement to the kingdom about the advancing Southern army."

"Yes, Your Highness," the Sneasel said, bowing low to the ground. The two of them exited the throne room, leaving it empty except for the two monarchs.

As soon as they left, Queen Berenice glared at King Electivire angrily. "You're leaving me?"

"I'll be back as soon as I can," King Electivire promised. "I need to protect this kingdom. A ruler must protect his lands as best as he can. Now, I need to go prepare for battle. We're going to leave tomorrow." He kissed his wife on the cheek and ran a hand through her hair before making his way to his room. As soon as he closed the door, Queen Berenice broke down in tears.

* * *

As King Electivire said, the army marched south the next day. Queen Berenice saw them off before retiring to her bedroom in the palace.

There, she knelt in front of a statue of Articuno, the Great Legendary who was the guardian of the ice-type kingdom. "O Great Legendary," Queen Berenice said. "Please keep Electivire safe."

All at once the bronze statue started to glow brightly. Queen Berenice looked up in surprise.

A majestic blue bird suddenly appeared. "I can do as you wish," the bird said, "but for a cost. I require something that you value very much."

"Articuno!" Queen Berenice gasped. "I..."

"Your hair looks wonderful," Articuno trilled, approaching the kneeling Jynx. "Yes, your hair would do nicely..." It reached out a wing to stroke the Jynx's long, flowing hair.

Queen Berenice backed away from it, alarmed at the menacing tone of voice that the Great Legendary was using. "Why do you want my hair?"

"As an offering. Are you truly as committed to your husband as you appear to be? Would you sacrifice something so dear to you?"

"You promise to protect King Electivire from harm?"

"No harm shall come to him if you choose to give me your hair."

Queen Berenice looked up at the bird. She hesitated. She looked at a smoothed sheet of ice at the side of the room. Her reflection stared back at her, long golden hair waving slightly at a draft in the room. Then she looked back at Articuno. "I accept," she said finally.

With her psychic powers, she summoned a pair of scissors from her desk. She grabbed them out of the air, and with a trembling hand, opened it and positioned it behind her head. She paused, and then, with a snap, closed the scissors.

Hearing the metal slice through her hair, Queen Berenice felt a pang of panic in her stomach. Was this the right decision, to have cut off her hair like this? But she calmed herself down quickly. The hair would ensure her husband's safety. That was a small price to pay.

Queen Berenice stepped forwards, away from where her hair now levitated from her psychic abilities. She turned around and faced the mirror of ice. It showed the image of herself: a beautiful purple humanoid in a dress, but now with nothing but yellow stubble on her head. Queen Berenice quickly averted her glance from the mirror. She moved her hair towards the giant bird who was staring serenely at the queen.

Without warning, Articuno let loose a beam of ice from its mouth, encasing the floating hair in ice. Articuno grabbed the frozen hair. "You have done well, Queen. I promise that the king shall be safe," it said. Holding the blond hair encased in ice, the Great Legendary flew out an open window from the ice castle.

Queen Berenice fell back on her bed, hoping that the sacrifice of her hair would not be in vain.

* * *

Elsewhere, south of the icy plains that King Electivire and his army were presently crossing, Scutum the Bronzor looked towards its own king, King Magmortar. The ruler of the Southern Kingdom was a regal figure, standing tall and proud. The flames on his head and shoulders blazed brightly, and his face wore an intense expression.

Still, Scutum was wondering if this war against the Northern Kingdom was the right thing to do. King Magmortar's goal was to expand the borders of the Southern Kingdom—but was that not a selfish goal? After all, weren't they pushing the Northern Kingdom inwards, compressing the entire nation? Certainly, their first few battles had an excuse—the Southern Volcano had erupted, leaving behind a large chunk of inhospitable land where the Southern Capital had been. But by this time, the Southern Kingdom had taken enough territory already in previous battles for the Southerners to live comfortably in.

Still, Scutum was just an advisor to his king. King Magmortar himself made the final decisions, such as the one to march northwards. Scutum had done its duty to inform the king of its opinion that such a decision to march northward would be unwise. Scutum could do nothing else but listen to his king.

"Halt!" King Magmortar suddenly yelled out, snapping Scutum out of its train of thought. The army stopped, looking nervously for signs of the enemy.

There they were, across the field: a pitifully small army of ice-types. Though they put on an air of confidence, Scutum was almost certain that they were afraid, since they were facing an army several times their size, and with a type disadvantage to boot.

The Northern army stopped, as well, apparently just seeing King Magmortar and the fire-types. A large, yellow shape pushed past the Walrein and Dewgong on the front row.

King Electivire stood out from the rest of his army. He shouted across the field in a steady voice, "King Magmortar, of the South, do you fully intend to continue your advance on us? If so, hear me out. You have already shrunk our kingdom to barely a quarter of its former size; we have nowhere left to retreat, should you continue to attack us. So we shall fight desperately—to the death, if necessary—in order to ensure the protection of those who cannot fight for themselves."

Beside Scutum, King Magmortar stepped forwards. "I understand, King Electivire. But we, as well, have our own goals. We need to expand our territories, for the Southern Volcano has exploded. With it, our capital city has fallen, and a sizable part of our kingdom is now inhospitable. I apologize for the loss of your kingdom, but it's my kingdom or yours."

King Electivire's face darkened almost imperceptibly, but Scutum, as a part psychic-type, was sensitive to such minute details. "If that is your decision," the Northern King said, "then prepare to battle. And prepare to face defeat." King Electivire fell back into his army, disappearing behind the ranks of ice-types.

Scutum looked nervously towards its own king, who continued to stand at the front of the army. The fire-type king ignored his advisor, instead staring at the Northern army, waiting for them to make the first move.

And they did. King Electivire shouted, "Charge!" The other Northern Pokémon gave out a roar in response, and started to rush towards the Southern army.

Something, though, caught Scutum's eye. Scutum glanced upwards, towards the night sky, and sure enough, a faint, glittering white dot was quickly approaching.

Scutum was wondering whether or not to warn King Magmortar of the oncoming dot, when a Froslass from the Northern army shouted, "Behind us! Something is coming!"

Both armies stopped their fighting, looking back where the Froslass was pointing. Slowly, the shimmering dot resolved itself into a brilliant blue bird.

Articuno. Scutum recognized it immediately. It was the legendary bird of the ice, the Great Legendary of the Northern Kingdom. But if _it_ had come, things couldn't be good for the Southern Kingdom.

Then, Scutum perceived that the bird was holding something. Staring closer at the talons, it was surprised to see that Articuno was clutching at a beautiful mass of golden hair, encased in ice.

The great ice-type approached, but before they reached the armies, it flew straight up towards the night sky. Articuno flew up to a relatively starless patch of sky and dropped the ice-encased hair. Instead of falling, the hair faded into an image, a perfect replica of the beautiful queen's hair, with a few faint stars delineating the outline.

As everyone watched, Articuno fluttered back down towards the battlefield, gracefully swooping down and landing softly between the two armies.

Articuno spoke. "Army of the Southern Kingdom. Do not attempt to fight. I have been asked by Queen Berenice of the North to protect King Electivire and his Northern army. Are you sure you want to fight a legendary Pokémon?"

Scutum looked towards its king nervously. This was certainly something the king would not be expecting. Maybe this situation was what would make King Magmortar change his mind and follow Scutum's advice of not attacking the Northern Kingdom.

But what Scutum saw in King Magmortar's eyes was not one of fear, but one of amusement at having a challenge placed before him.

"This ought to be fun," Scutum heard the king mutter. "I have a type advantage over it, legendary or not." King Magmortar raised its voice. "Articuno, I accept your challege."

As King Magmortar stood up, ready to face the ice-type legendary, Scutum floated up in front of its king. Scutum knew that this was insubordination, but it couldn't _not_ stop its thickheaded king from rushing headlong into almost-certain defeat.

"King Magmortar," Scutum said. "With all due respect, Your Highness, I cannot agree to this."

"What? I'm not going to back down to an ice-type, Scutum."

"That's not the point," Scutum insisted. "You're facing a legendary Pokémon. A _legendary Pokémon_. Do you realize what you're doing?"

"A Pokémon is a Pokémon. And an ice-type is at a disadvantage against a fire-type like me, whether or not it's legendary." King Magmortar swatted aside Scutum with an arm, but Scutum floated back in front of the king, frowning.

"Look, Your Highness, this battle itself is not vital to our survival. Admit it—you're doing this just to wipe out our rivals. But is it worth it? Is greed that important to you, that you'll risk the wrath of the legendaries? By Arceus, King Magmortar, stop being childish!"

Scutum's voice steadily grew louder as it talked to the king, and once it finished, the battlefield fell completely silent, both armies watching the exchange with curiosity.

King Magmortar held a neutral expression as he stared at Scutum. "I do believe that speech could be considered insubordination, Scutum." The Bronzor shuddered a little at the king's words, but it forced itself to stay calm, waiting for him to finish. Instead, the fire-type just shook his head. "Although I cannot deny your words, however, I feel that it is in our best interest to go through with this battle."

A Charmeleon from beside King Magmortar stepped forwards. "If you don't mind my saying so, Your Highness, I agree with Scutum. We have too much to lose, and not that much to gain, aside from perhaps ending a rivalry."

King Magmortar's determined expression fell away into disappointment. He turned around towards his army, and found that a majority wore a pleading expression, asking him to stop. He sighed. "Very well." The king turned back towards Articuno, who had been perched on a nearby tree and watching the exchange interestedly. "I accept your peace offering, Articuno."

The great bird's beak drew faintly up in a smile. "I respect your decision."

King Electivire slowly approached King Magmortar, extending his right hand. "We declare a truce, then?" Cautiously, King Magmortar shook it.

"Yes."

Behind both kings, the two armies started cheering loudly as Scutum sighed in relief. They wouldn't have to risk their lives fighting.

Articuno spoke again. "To commemorate this peace agreement, Queen Berenice's hair shall remain as a constellation in the sky." The great bird raised its wings towards the heavens, where the image of the long, flowing hair reappeared. The bird turned back towards the ground. "And you, the Bronzor, what is your name?"

Scutum gave a start when it realized that Articuno was pointing to it. "S—Scutum. My name is Scutum."

"You are a courageous Bronzor, Scutum," Articuno said. "You stood up to your own king, doing what you know in your heart to be right, despite any punishment that your king may choose. Though I have no jurisdiction over your king's decision, I shall reward you for you courage and wisdom by placing your image among the stars, as well." With those words, Articuno let out a shrill cry towards the dark heavens, and the image of a Bronzor appeared a good distance away from the image of Queen Berenice's hair.

Both images faded, leaving behind a dark sky filled with twinkling stars. Articuno turned back to the Southern army expectantly.

"Well, King Magmortar? Will you punish Scutum for insubordination?" the bird asked.

After a moment's hesitation, the king said, "No, I think I can let it slide this time." He paused. "Farewell, Articuno. Farewell, King Electivire." King Magmortar bowed to them before turning around. "Army, march home!" he called out. "Go home to your family, and tell them that we've come to a peace agreement with the Northern Kingdom. And then enjoy your time with your spouses and children. You deserve it."

Across the battlefield, King Electivire nodded. He was going to do the same thing: go home and thank Queen Berenice for her sacrifice.

* * *

_Coma Berenices and Scutum are two odd constellations, though they are unrelated. In Ptolemy's listing, Coma Berenices was originally part of the constellation Leo, as the hair on the end of the lion's tail. However, the Ancient Greeks recognized Coma Berenices as an asterism (an unofficial grouping of stars). It was formally made into a constellation in the sixteenth century after several influential astronomers and cartographers listed it in their star maps: Caspar Vopel (1536), Geradus Mercator (1551), and Tycho Brahe (1602). Coma Berenices is faint, but those with good vision living in dark skies in the northern hemisphere can see it in the spring._

_Scutum, meanwhile, was created in 1684 by Johannes Hevelius, in honor of King John III Sobieski. Scutum is technically south of the celestial equator, but is visible in almost all of the northern hemisphere, as well. It is also very faint, but is best seen in August (late summer for the northern hemisphere, and late winter for the southern hemisphere)._

_Coma Berenices and Scutum are the only constellations that are named after historical figures. In the story of Coma Berenices, Queen Berenice II of Egypt cut off her long, beautiful hair as a sacrifice to Aphrodite to protect her husband who was at war, King Ptolemy III Euergetes (not to be confused with Ptolemy, the ancient astronomer who listed the original forty-eight constellations). In this story, Ptolemy is represented by King Electivire, and the goddess Aphrodite is represented by Articuno. Scutum, on the other hand, has no legends associated with it. However, the war theme of Coma Berenice's story lends itself nicely to the shield constellation, so it felt appropriate to put Scutum in this story, as well._

* * *

_Published March 10, 2013  
_


	3. Virgo and Libra

**Virgo and Libra**

**Gardevoir and Metang**

Virgo the Gardevoir and Libra the Metang were the de facto leaders of a small town of Pokémon situated in a meadow. Though the town had an official mayor—a Pikachu named Spica—the Pokémon of the town all respected Virgo and Libra the most, for they were well known as the dispute settlers. Even Spica bowed to their judgment.

The two of them were officially the peacekeepers of the land, the judges who presided over any cases brought before them. Most of the cases were civil cases, involving land disputes or monetary problems. But there were also criminal cases, as well. Virgo and Libra were unwavering in their punishments: they gave out what they deemed necessary, and no amount of tears and pleading would move them.

Among the most famous of the cases was that of Proserpine's kidnapping. Proserpine was a beautiful Leafeon, famed throughout the town of her beauty. One day, she went for a walk near the mountains, but she never returned. Helios the Flareon reported her absence.

The one Pokémon that lived near the mountains was a Sableye named Pluto. Spica had him immediately arrested and whisked off, despite his protests of innocence.

A few days later, he appeared in court, before Virgo and Libra. The Sableye was pulled in roughly by a Sunflora guard and chained to a chair in front of the two judges. Then, the guard saluted the Gardevoir and the Metang, and left the room, leaving it empty except for the two judges and the defendant.

Virgo stood up and floated over gracefully to Pluto. "You are Pluto the Sableye, am I correct?" Pluto just nodded. "You have been accused of kidnapping Proserpine the Leafeon. Do you deny the accusation?"

Pluto's perpetual grin started to frown a little, but he quickly covered it up with a nonchalant expression. "Well, yes, I deny it. I never kidnapped anyone in my life."

"Do you know at all what happened to Leafeon? Reports say that the last time she was seen was four days ago, when her neighbor, a Flareon named Helios, saw her walk off towards the mountains on the edge of town, where you live."

"I did see her that day. She passed by my cave, and she said hi to me."

Libra floated towards the defendant. "Indeed? And what happened after that?"

"She started to… converse with me while picking flowers in front of my cave."

"But where did she go after picking flowers?"

The Sableye was silent for a moment before shrugging with an air of nonchalance. "I don't know."

Virgo frowned. "There's something you're not telling me."

"If you're hiding something," Libra reasoned, "then there's something that you don't want us to know. How do you not know where she went? You were there, with her? How did she leave the scene?"

"I went into my cave before she left," Pluto stated.

"So she was still picking flowers when you left?" Libra asked.

Pluto nodded wordlessly.

"Wait a moment," Virgo said, half to herself. "Why would Proserpine be picking flowers? Whom would she be giving them to?" She turned to the Sableye. "Do you know?"

"Nope. She didn't really tell me anything about the flowers."

"Then what did she talk about?" Libra asked. "You said that she conversed with you."

"Oh, the weather, and whatnot."

Virgo frowned. "The weather? Proserpine is a rather shy girl. She wouldn't have walked all the way over to your cave just to talk about the weather."

"Who said she walked to my cave to talk to me? Her purpose was to collect flowers."

"But for _what_?" Libra smacked the ground with its claw to emphasize its question.

Virgo stared at Pluto directly in his bejeweled eyes until he started squirming. Finally, the impish Pokémon spoke. "For the weather."

Virgo blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Helios is fond of using Sunny Day. She'd prefer it if he'd stop."

"What does Helios have anything to do with this?" Libra asked. "He's just Proserpine's neighbor."

"And suitor."

The room was silent for a moment. "Explain," Libra said simply.

Pluto took a breath. "When the Leafeon came to me, I was surprised. No one ever comes to the caves; everyone thinks I'm creepy and avoids me like the plague. But she greeted me, and started to pick flowers as if it was perfectly normal to just sit there and pick flowers. Intrigued, I just stood at the mouth of my cave, watching her.

"Then she started to blabber to me. About the weather, at first, but the conversation quickly turned towards her neighbor Helios's advances on her. He often showed off his moves to her, such as Sunny Day. She refused every time, until she couldn't take it any more.

"She was collecting flowers to give to someone else to make very clear to Helios that she wasn't interested in him. Why she chose my cave to collect flowers… well, I guess she presumed that she wouldn't be caught there, since everyone always avoids me."

The Sableye paused in his story. He looked at the two judges seriously. "What I'm about to tell you is not my fault. I didn't kidnap her; she kidnapped herself." He took another deep breath, and fidgeted in the chair that he was chained to. "We were just making small talk, when she suddenly got up and handed me the bouquet of flowers that she had been collecting.

"That surprised me so much. I assumed that she was just desperate to avoid Helios. Once I took the flowers from her in surprise, she told me, 'Don't tell anyone where I am. Especially Helios.' She ran off—into my cave. When I went to look for her, she was huddling in a corner, hiding. I tried to convince her that she would be fine and that she should go back out to the town, but she refused. And then Spica found me in my cave and had me arrested, though Proserpine managed to hide from them. I don't know where she is now."

As Pluto concluded his story, the two arbiters looked at each other. "Is his story to be trusted?" Metang asked.

Virgo maintained a completely emotionless face. "Find Helios and bring him in here."

Metang dutifully alerted the Sunflora guard, who ran off and returned with the Flareon a few moments later. Virgo couldn't help but notice that the guard never handcuffed Helios to the chair he sat on, even though the guard had done so to Pluto.

Nevertheless, she said nothing on the subject, and instead turned to the Flareon. "Helios, Pluto has accused you of inappropriate behavior." She paused briefly, studying Helios's expression, but it showed only surprise. "You have been harassing Proserpine."

"I have?" Helios asked. His eyebrows then narrowed. "Accused by whom? The cave dweller?" The fire-type spat the last question out as if it were a curse.

Ignoring the question, Virgo said, "So do you deny your accusation?"

"Of course," Helios said. "Why would I harass the fair Proserpine?"

"Because you were in love with her, and she refused your advances!" Pluto hissed through his sharp teeth. "You want nothing else but her, and when she refused, you—"

"Let Helios talk," Libra said, silencing Pluto.

Helios glared at Pluto for a moment longer before speaking. "What, I was just asking her on a date, and she said no, but it was a hot day, and I asked her again a few days later because I thought she was just overwhelmed by the sun that day. And then the Sableye kidnapped her."

"She ran away because you were harassing her," Pluto said. "You were being arrogant."

"How would you know?" Helios accused. "Were you spying on me?"

"She told me."

"So you did kidnap her!"

"No, she kidnapped herself. She ran away into my cave, but it wasn't because of me that she stayed in there. It's because of you, you foul beast."

"Please," Virgo interjected. "Be civil with each other." She waited patiently until they stopped glaring at each other. "I think that we ought to consult Proserpine herself, in this case. Pluto, you say that you don't know what happened to Proserpine after you were arrested, right? But would it be reasonable to assume that she is still in the cave?"

The dark- and ghost-type shrugged. "Perhaps."

"Let's go search, then," Virgo said. "Spica is already leading a search crew, but you know your cave better than anyone else; you would know the hiding places best. Helios, you're coming along with us."

Libra floated up to Pluto's handcuffs, untying them from the chair but leaving them chaining the purple Pokémon's hands together. Virgo, meanwhile, placed a leash onto Helios. "I apologize for this, but you're a suspect, too, now, Helios."

The Flareon growled a little at the judge, but said nothing.

* * *

The four of them exited the courtroom, and Virgo briefly explained to the Sunflora guard where they were going. Then, Pluto led them quickly to his cave, where they met Spica and the rest of the search team looking for Proserpine by the light of a Ponyta's mane.

As Virgo explained what they were doing, Libra and Pluto went further into the cave, towards where the Sableye last remembered Proserpine. Pluto could see perfectly well in the dark, and Libra, as a psychic Pokémon, could also sense decently where it was going.

They went through the twists and turns of the cave. Libra carefully stored their path in its brain so as not to get lost. Eventually, Libra could hear the faint sound of somebody crying. Libra and Pluto approached the noise, and Libra started to sense a life form huddled in the corner of the chamber that they were in.

"Proserpine?" Pluto asked. "Are you all right?"

The crying immediately stopped. "Pluto… Is that you?" Proserpine's voice was quiet, but strong.

"Yes, it's me. Why are you crying?"

"Because you were arrested, weren't you?"

"I was. I'm currently being escorted by the judge Libra."

Libra felt obligated to say something at this point, so it said, "Hello, Proserpine."

"Wait… what's happening?" Proserpine asked. "Why are you here, if you're arrested?"

"We have reason to believe that Pluto is innocent," Libra said.

"He is!" Proserpine cried out immediately.

"Please, then, Proserpine, come back to the courthouse so that we can sort this whole thing out," Pluto said.

"No, but…" she trailed off.

"You have nothing to fear," Libra comforted. "You did nothing wrong; we just need your testimony to prove that Pluto is innocent."

She hesitated.

"Come on," Pluto urged. "Please?"

The Leafeon silently stood up and nuzzled towards Pluto. "Fine," she said at last.

"All right. Let's return to the others."

* * *

Libra saw the flicker of the fire from Pontya's mane, and a few moments later, it floated into a chamber of the cave where Virgo, Helios, Spica and the rest of the search party stood. Pluto and Proserpine followed.

"We've found her," Libra announced.

"See?" Helios yelled out. "If he knew where she was, then he must have—"

"He didn't kidnap me." Proserpine's soft voice cut through the Flareon's yell, silencing him. "I ran away from you."

"What…" Helios looked honestly surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"You keep harassing me," Proserpine snapped. "You repeatedly try to ask me out, you're practically stalking me to do so, and you unnecessarily try to show off in front of me."

"Look, I…" Helios stammered.

Virgo floated between the two Eeveelutions. "All right, please stop arguing. Helios, Proserpine, break it up. I believe I've reached a decision." The Gardevoir looked up at Spica. "I'm going to go discuss my decision with Libra in private. Make sure that Helios, Pluto, and Proserpine all stay here. And make sure they don't kill each other," she added with a frown as the three aforementioned Pokémon started growling and hissing at each other.

The two judges returned shortly, and all Pokémon present looked up expectantly.

"Pluto and Helios are hereby both declared innocent of kidnapping. Helios is charged with harassment, and must move to a different house, away from Proserpine's. Proserpine herself is charged with disruption of the peace by running away without notice to anyone and causing general panic. Proserpine must remain within the village at all times for the next six months. Pluto, you lied to us when we were questioning you earlier. For that, though, we simply will not give you any compensation for the inconvenience of appearing in court today, as is customary to give to innocent suspects."

The cavern was silent for a moment before Helios cried out, "But I didn't mean to do anything!"

Libra spoke up. "The whole situation was a bunch of miscommunications, which was why the sentences were so light. You never meant to upset Proserpine, and she never meant to implicate Pluto, but it happened all the same. Just because no one meant any harm doesn't mean that no harm will come."

The cavern fell silent, and finally, Spica asked, "Is everyone satisfied with the sentence?"

Helios and Proserpine clearly weren't, but they said nothing, accepting what they had done. Pluto just stared blankly through his bejeweled eyes at the two judges.

Just as Spica was about to leave the cave, he heard an unfamiliar voice.

"I am satisfied."

The voice was low and gruff, coming from a dark corner of the cave. From the shadows, a dark form rose up.

Pluto recognized it immediately, and knelt down. "Darkrai!"

"Hello, Pluto," the Pitch-Black Pokémon said. It turned to the two judges. "I have watched your judgment on this case—and I would like to thank you deeply for the just outcome. There is such a prejudice against dark-types and ghost-types that they are implicated in crimes that are unrelated to them. The Sableye is completely innocent of the kidnapping, and yet, most judges and courts would find him guilty, simply because he looks creepy and lives in a dark cave and is involved in the crime, even if the involvement was simply as a witness."

Darkrai paused in his speech to present a sheaf of wheat to Virgo. "True justice is rare these days. I have decided to honor both of you in a very special way. I give you this. It's not much—it's just a sculpture of a sheaf of wheat. But it will ward away any nightmares, much as Cresselia's feathers would. I give it to you in gratitude." Virgo accepted it from the legendary Pokémon with a grateful nod. "Additionally, look up at the sky tonight. There's more to my gift than just the sculpture." Darkrai bowed to the judges, surprising everyone in the room. "May the fates be kind to you." With that, Darkrai strode out of the chamber, melting into the darkness of the caves.

* * *

That evening, after the sun set, Virgo, Libra, and Spica met up in an empty part of town to look up at the sky, as Darkrai had instructed them to do. As the last of the twilight faded away, two groups of stars started twinkling brightly. Around them, two images appeared next to each other: one of a Gardevoir, and one of a Metang. In the right hand of the Gardevoir, she held the sheaf of wheat that Darkrai had given her.

"That's… us," Libra murmured in surprise.

A voice came from behind them. "Indeed it is." The three villages turned around, and found Darkrai standing there, looking up at the sky with them. "The constellations are a reminder that justice is not always intuitive, and that true fairness is elusive. And of course, they are a gift to you."

After a few moments of admiring the images in the sky, Virgo said, "Spica, I believe you deserve some credit, as well. You've always been a good mayor to this town, and you've always accepted our decisions without fail. You've always supported our judgment in every way that you can. If Darkrai allows it, I'm going to name the brightest star in my constellation after you." She raised her hand and pointed at the star at the heel of the Gardevoir in the sky, and looked at Darkrai expectantly.

Darkrai said, "Very well." With a wave of its arm, an image of a Pikachu appeared around the star.

The three adjacent images lasted in the sky for the rest of the night, and though they faded by the next day, the stars themselves remained, symbols of true justice in the world.

* * *

_Of the two constellations, Libra has a more straightforward history. It was originally considered part of the constellation Scorpius, as the claws of the scorpion, but it was soon considered to be the scales of justice, even by the time of Ptolemy._

_Virgo, meanwhile, is associated with a great many goddesses: Themis, Dike, Astraea, and Demeter. The first three are all related but distinct goddesses of justice. The sheaf of wheat that she is usually depicted with (traditionally in her left hand, represented by the star Spica, but in Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker, in her right hand), however, comes from her identity as Demeter, the goddess of corn, wheat, and agriculture. Regardless of her mythological association, Virgo was also included in Ptolemy's original listing of constellations._

_The story told here was almost entirely made up by me. Themis and Libra do not have any stories about them. Dike and Astraea, who are Greek and Roman counterparts of each other, have a single story: the world became so unjust that they fled the world—a far too depressing tale for me to retell. Demeter, meanwhile, is the mother of Persephone, who was kidnapped by Hades. The story of Persephone's kidnapping was vaguely incorporated into this story, but aside from the names (which were taken from the Roman version of the myth: Proserpine, Pluto, and Helios), almost nothing in the original story is related to this story._

_Virgo and Libra are constellations along the ecliptic, the imaginary line through which the planets, the moon, and the sun appear to pass through. They are visible in both hemispheres, and are best viewed in May and June._

* * *

_A/N: To be honest, I'm rather dissatisfied with this story, partially because it strays so far from the original myths, but also because Virgo and Libra have the same personality and could easily be combined into one character, and because of the heavy reliance on dialogue in this story. Also, the sheaf of wheat and Spica the Pikachu's connection to the constellations seem rather contrived. Nevertheless, I'm posting this because I don't know how to fix these problems, short of a total rewrite._

_In other news, the next installment will not likely come out for a while, since it's going to encompass a lot of constellations._

* * *

_Published March 27, 2013  
_


End file.
